Mail-box signal.



PATBNTBD JULY 18, 1905.

P. 0. SMITH; MAIL BOX SIGNAL.

APPLIQATION FILED OUT. 19,1904- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

anon/n10: I Ze 7- 5722 22371, Z

ANDREW a cam cm rim-01mm WAWYONDC No. 795,239. PATENTED JULY 18. 1905.

P. 0. SMITH. MAIL BOX SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.19,1904.

2 SHEET8-SHBET 2.

ANDREW a GRAHAM ca Hmounmmmm wmamc'roub c NITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

PERRY C. SMITH, -OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH BROTHERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA,

A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

MAIL-BOX SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,239, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed October 19, 1904:. Serial No. 229,192.

To all 1071/0711, it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERRY C. SMITH, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail-boxes to be used on rural-mail routes;

IO and its principal object is to provide a signal or flag that will be raised automatically upon opening or raising the lid of the box. but that will not be closed by closing the lid, but instead will remain up as a signal until it is 5 closed by the person who was attracted by it and lowers it after he has removed his mail from the box.

The object also is to provide a simple, durable, and inexpensive and convenient mailbox that will fully protect the mail-matter that may be deposited within.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 5 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular box embodying my improvements with the lid raised. Fig. 2 is an elevation of same looking at the end having the flag with the flag raised and the lid closed; Fig. 3, a detail of 3 the hinge-rod, showing the attachment of the flag thereto; Fig. 4, a perspective view of a round-bottom mail-box equipped with my flag,

showing the flag raised and the lid of the box closed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the box shown in Fig. 4 looking toward the end of the box having the flag, the View showing the flag in elevated position; and Fig. 6, a detail showing the hinge construction and means for attaching the flag in a modified way from 4 that shown in Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

T isa rectangular sheet-metal box, preferably higher at the rear than in front to give a slope to the lid, so as to cause it to shed rain-water more readily.

8 is the lid, havingits edges turned at right angles to form flanges 9, and 10 is a wire or rod around which the top edge of the rear wall 5 of the box is bent or bound in the manner shown in the drawings. The ends of the wire 10 project and are passed through the flanges 9 of the lid to form the hinge connection of the lid to the box. This wire at its right end is screw-threaded to receive the threaded nut 11. A standard 12 is fixed to the nut, and to the outer end of the standard is the flag 13, which may be colored or decorated in any desired manner to render it conspicuous. The standard will preferably be of metal integral with the flag 13, and the standard will have the right-angle flange 14:, which projects in the path of the lid, so that when the lid is raised it will contact with the flange and move the flag up with it. The flange 30 at right angles to flange 9 engages the standard 12 to raise the latter. The direction of the thread on the wire 10 is such that the nut will be screwed upon the wire, forcing the standard into closer contactwith the flange 9 at the upward move of the standard, thereby increasing the friction between the standard and flange to cause the standard and its flag to retain their elevated position when the lid is lowered. This it does and remains thus elevated until it is pressed down by hand. The postman leaving mail will raise the flag when he opens the box to make his deposit, and the person leaving mail in the box to be 001- 8 lected by the postman will do the same thing, and each will leave the flag raised as a notice to the other that there is something in the box for him. WVhen either one gets from the box that which was left for him and leaves 5 nothing there for the other, he presses the flag down out of sight and leaves it there.

In the form shown in Figs. 4., 5, and 6 a metal box with a round body 15 is shown. This has the lid 16 with a flat top and a half- 9 round front flange 17, which merges into the straight flanges 18 at the ends of the lid. Instead of a wire or rod running through the box for hinging the lid I use the short pieces 19 19 at each end, which extend through the flange of the lid and respective end wall of I and the bolt and standard are soldered together or otherwise fastened in a fixed manner, so when the standard is moved the bolt will be rocked. Between the flange 18 and the end of the box is the threaded nut 23, which is soldered or otherwise fixed to the end of the box. The thread on the bolt and nut are such as to draw the standard in against the box and tighten it when the standard is raised by raising the lid of the box. 2 1 is a bracket to which the box is fastened and by means of which the box is secured to a post or other support. The lid-flange 17 has aslot to receive the staple 25 on the loose upper end of the spring'bar 26. The lower end of the bar is fixed to the box; but the upper end will recede with a spring action into the box by the pressure of the lid against it and move out with the staple taking into the slot when the latter reaches the path of the staple.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A mail-box, a lid therefor, a hinge connecting the lid to the box, a signal or [iag attached to the hinge and adapted to be raised with the lid when the lid is raised, said flag being held by friction with the lid.

2. A mail-box, a lid therefor, a hinge con necting the lid to the box, a signal or flag attached to the hinge and adapted to be raised with the lid and means for tightening the signal as it is raised so as to hold it by friction in its elevated position.

3. A mail-box having a hinged lid, a flag, a friction means for holding the flag in an elevated position and means for increasing the efiiciency of the said holding means, by the raising of said lid.

L. A mail-box, a lid, a hinge connecting the two having a screw-threaded pintle and a signal mounted on said threaded pintle so as to tighten by the action of said thread when the signal is raised.

5. A mail-box, a lid, a hinge connecting the two having a screw-threaded pintle and a sig nal mounted on said threaded pintle so as to tighten by the action of said thread when the signal is raised, said signal having a flange which projects into the path of the lid whereby the raising of the lid will raise the signal.

6. In a mail-box, a lid, a hinge connecting the two having a screw-threaded pintle, and a signal mounted on said threaded pintle so as to tighten by the action of said thread when the signal is raised, said signal having a flange which projects into the path of the lid whereby the raising of the lid will raise the signal, and a spring-fastening to secure the closed lid.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Chicago, Illinois, this 31st day of August, A. D. 1904.

PERRY C. SMITH. [L. s]

Vitn esses:

J. A. TVIINTURN, F. TV. VVoERNnR. 

